2018 Eastern Division Analysis

Philadelphia Black Sox

Starting Staff:

Two B-Z’s at the top of the rotation are always a plus. Alex
Wood is one, the other being Madison Bumgarner, a little light on innings with
just 111, but his lifetime ZSABL record of 60-93 leaves a lot to be desired.
Next up are a pair of B-No Z’s in Jake Arrieta and Sonny Gray with Michael
Pineda, a C-Z with 96 IP, available if they need a 5th starter. All
in all a decent staff, rated as the third best in the East by the metrics
applied by this scribe. In the minors the only help is Hyun-Jin Ryu, C-No Z,
and Ian Kennedy

D-No Z, who when healthy, usually puts up good numbers in
the league. Un-carded Brent Honeywell, (who just underwent Tommy John surgery)
and Sixto Sanchez are the Black Sox’s hope for the future.

Division Rank: 3rd

Bullpen:

Headlining the pen is the versatile Andrew Miller
(A&B*-No-Z). Supporting him is a tandem of (A*-Z’s) in new arrivals Juan
Nicasio and John Brebbia. Lending even more help are two A*-No Z’s in Raisel Iglesias
and Luis Garcia along with B*-No-Z Dan Jennings and for the garbage time they
have Alex Wilson,(C*-Z). Down on the farm is some more depth in Darren O’Day,
(B*-No-Z) and another trio of B*-No Z’s in Arodys Vizcaino, who returns via the
draft after a year hiatus, Heath Hembree and Hector Neris. As loaded as the
Sox’s pen looks on paper it is merely relative due to the nature of the modern
MLB/ZSABL rosters where stacked bullpens are the norm.

Division Rank: 4th

Catchers:

Thebackstop position has been a long time problem
for Philly since their inaugural season. Characters such as Geovany Soto,
Michael Barrett, Toby Hall, Ramon Castro, Chris Snyder, Damian Miller, Todd
Hundley and A.J.Pierzynski all donned the “tools of ignorance” and struggled to
reach the Mendoza line. Barrettt and Pierzynski each had one somewhat decent
season in Philadelphia history. The current catching corps features Francisco
Cervelli C-7, who has never batted less than .200 (.202 last year) but hit only
four homeruns in over 700 at bats in his two seasons in Sox Land. His partner
will be Christian Vazquez C-8, a 5th round draftee with a .735 OPS
who hopefully will add a little more “oomph” to the position. In the minors is
Chance Sisco C-6, just 18 at bats but a nice card.

Infield:

At first base will be Logan Morrison 1B-4 who will be
returning after being jettisoned last year. He played parts of five seasons
with the Sox from 2012-2016. His .868 OPS leads all Philly infielders. A
declining Dustin Pedroia 2B-8 will partner with SS-9 Corey Seager, a burgeoning
superstar, up the middle. At the hot corner it will be a time-share between
3B-4 Johan Camargo and 3B-3 Matt Carpenter. The latter will do some DH duties
when he is not out on the field. Both Carpenter and Camargo have enough
eligibility at other position to satisfy the league’s rule on back ups. In the
minors there is a lot of potential in Yoan Moncada 2B-7, Greg Bird 1B-4, hoping
he can avoid the injury bug, and 3B-3 Maikel Franco, as he tries to overcome
his propensity to strike out. Wilmer Flores 3B-3 2B-7 1B-3 a solid all around
utility man will join them.

Outfield:

Jesse Winker OF-1 and only 121 at bats will probably just
see duty as a DH when Carpenter plays third base. He was an un-carded 2015 6th
round pick getting his first APBA card this season. His .904 OPS means he was
well worth the wait. The Sox skipper’s affinity for OF-1’s was evident last
year with Beltran, Kim, Holliday and Grossman. That love remained at this
year’s draft, as they added another pair of glove-challenged fly chasers in
OF-1’s Avisail Garcia and Jose A. Martinez, plus they opted to keep Grossman
again, albeit he is in the minors. Luckily they have some sure handed OF-3’s in
Mitch Haniger and A.J.Pollock. Yoenis Cespedes OF-2 but only 291 at bats will
also vie for playing time in a crowded outfield picture. David Dahl, injured
yet again, did not get a card but will be carried on the minor league roster.

Division Line Up Rank: 6th

Draft Analysis:

With their Lottery pick they took
Alex Wood the B-Z with the most IP, a nice solid selection. Two 2nd
round picks netted them Avisail Garcia and Juan Nicasio. More astute drafting
in the 3rd gave them John Brebbia and Logan Morrison. In the 4th,
Luis Garcia, another A*-No-Z came aboard. In the 5th IMHO they went
too early on C Christian Vazquez, although they definitely needed help behind
the dish, they had no 6th but Jose A. Martinez was a nice grab in
the 7th. Darren O’Day in the 8th, Un-Carded Sixto Sanchez
in the 9th, Arodys Vizcaino in the 10th. Camargo in the
11th was a good “get” with their 3B void. A.J.Reed was a puzzling
choice in the 12th, he was later released so they must have been
over the 40 man limit.

Synopsis:

The Sox made a nice run at the post season last year,
finishing 71-67 five games out of the playoffs. They will need to repeat that
late season charge to have any chance in 2018. The pitching is adequate enough
but the offense seems to be their “Achilles Heel”. That atrocious outfield
defense didn’t hurt them much last year as they finished in the middle of the
pack defensively, we will see if that repeats itself. Philadelphia, who made
their ZSABL debut in 2002, remains the only franchise never to appear in the
World Series. It seems it won’t happen again this year unless one of the top
three in the East stumble. Philly who looks like the 4th best in the
Division, could sneak in there if Rochester, Las Vegas or Brooklyn
under-achieve.

Sherwood Forest Machine

Starting Staff:

B-ZZ, Noah Syndergaard only has 30
IP and will start the year in the minors. Kyle Hendricks a B-No Z has just 149
innings and Ben Lively, a C-Z with 89 IP are the only other stalwarts on this,
what a certain personality would call a “deplorable” starting staff. C-No-Z
Jose Quintana should see regular work in the rotation but the four C-No-Z’s in
Yu Darvish, J.C.Ramirez, Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Stratton will all pull
double duty both as starting pitchers and in the bullpen. There is no cavalry
coming to the rescue from the farm system, as the only starting pitchers there
are Shelby Miller C-No-Z 22 IP, Henderson Alvarez C-W 15 IP and a D-No-Z in
Robert Gsellman.

Division Rank: 7th

Bullpen:

The Machine who relied heavily on their pen in the past will
not have that luxury this season. All members of their relief corp lack the 26th
letter of the alphabet (Z). Vying for the rare opportunity for a save will be
A&C* Alan Busenitz and A*’s Anthony Zych and Keone Kela. B*-No-Z’s Enny
Romero and Taylor Rogers will try to keep the games close in the middle
innings.

Division Rank: 7th

Catchers:

Willson Contreras C-7, .855 OPS is the starter. Russell
Martin (C-9), called by his skipper as the “best player in baseball” although
he hasn’t hit over .200 since 2014 is the backup.

Infield:

Fielding is not an issue for the 2018 Machine infielders.
Brandon Belt 1B-5 .823 OPS will be at one corner and Evan Longoria 3B-5 will be
at the other, although the latter’s offensive prowess with a .737 OPS is
obviously lacking. Up the middle they have Trevor Story SS-9, who could not
replicate his rookie season numbers, and D.J. Lemahieu 2B-9, who took home the
batting titles in 2016 and 2017 but will be hard pressed to make it a
three-peat. Cesar Hernandez 2B-7 will be utilized in the DH role although he is
not the atypical designated hitter type. Chris Owings 2B-7 SS-7 OF-2 will be
the primary backup. Joey Gallo, probably penciled in for outfield duty can also
provide some depth with his 1B-3 3B-3 OF-1. In the minors are Eugenio Suarez
3B-4 .828 OPS, who the management loves, but was not used in a game last year.
Starlin Castro 2B-7 .792 OPS and Jose Iglesias SS-9, both solid ZSABL players,
will join him. They have high expectations for J.P.Crawford 3B-4, who they paid
dearly for in an off season trade with Rochester and 1B-3 Ryan McMahon, a 4th
round pick this season, coveted by more than one team on draft day. Adding some
more future potential are un-carded Luis Urias and the oft-injured Matt M.
Duffy, who doesn’t have a card this year.

Outfield:

The incomparable Giancarlo Stanton is the stud of this
group. What is not to like with his OF-3 and 1.007 OPS.Joc Pederson OF-2 and Delino D. Deshields
OF-2 provide very little offensive support with OPS’s of .738 and .714
respectively. Cameron Maybin OF-3, highly regarded by Machine management for
his on-base ability, struggled to the tune of a .683 OPS this past year. The
aforementioned Joey Gallo OF-1 will see more time in the pastures than they
really want him to. In the minors are a quartet of potential rebound candidates
in Scott Schebler OF-2 .791 OPS, acquired in a late trade with Memphis, Corey
Dickerson, OPS of .815, who would have probably made the 25 man roster except
for his OF-1,Stephen Piscotty OF-2
.702 OPS, who was plagued by family health issues but now has been sent to
Oakland where he will be closer to his mother who was diagnosed with ALS and
finally the enigmatic Jayson Heyward, OF-3 .715 OPS, still trying to live up to
the “hype” of his 8 year, 184 million dollar contract.

Division Lineup Rank: 7th

Draft Analysis:

They didn’t pick until the 4th round where they selected
Colorado 1B Ryan McMahon, drawing oohs and ahs from the “peanut gallery”, as
apparently he was a much coveted commodity. Ben Lively in the 5th
was their next best selection in an otherwise lack luster draft day as they
entered a rebuilding mode. The 6th round saw them add P Anthony Zych
and OF Delino D. Deshields. Next was Keone Kela in the 7th and
apparent closer, Alan Busenitz in the 8th before taking Jose
Alvarado in the 9th, who was then unceremoniously released a few
rounds later. When questioned about this move the Machine management remained
tight lipped and offered “no comment”. This Office may have been premature in
“dissing” Sherwood’s draft strategy earlier in this paragraph because in the 10th
they chose un-carded Luis Urias, a highly touted infielder with the Padres who
scouts say “Has one of the best projected hit tools in all of baseball.” Roster
fillers in the next three rounds got them J.C.Ramirez, Enny Rogers and Taylor
Rogers. The 14th saw them select Starlin Castro, who was released by
USMC, the 15th netted them Eduardo Rodriguez and Chris Stratton
arrived in the 16th. Their final pick was Shelby Miller, a nice
gamble on a proven pitcher trying to come back from Tommy John surgery.

Synopsis:

Their perennial run in the playoffs, 8 consecutive years,
will come to an abrupt end this season. Starting pitching, bullpen and their
projected lineup earned them the worst rankings in each category in the
division. Their top-notch infield defense will not translate into many
victories on the field. Rebuilding has not been in Sherwood’s vocabulary this
past decade. As inexperienced as they are at this type of re-structuring the
verdict will not be determined until a later time.

Brooklyn Metropolitans

Starting Staff:

Carlo Carrasco B-Z anchors the Met’s rotation: B-No Z’s C.C.
Sabathia and Rich Hill will follow him. Patrick Corbin, a C No-Z will slide
into the fourth slot. Carlos Rodon another C No-Z could see some duty as a
starter but has been used exclusively in relief so far this season. There is
some depth in the minors with Ryan Merritt A&C-Z 21 IP and Collin McHugh B
No-Z 63 IP. Joining them are young hopefuls Walker Buehler and Dinelson Lamet,
both D-W’s, who offer no help this year as well as Masahiro Tanaka, D-Z, who
may provide some garbage time when the rosters expand.

Division Rank: 4th

Bullpen:

Last years edition of Brooklyn’s bullpen was hailed as maybe
the best one ever assembled. This season it’s even better. A pair of rally
killing A&C*-ZZ’s in Kenley Jansen and Pat Neshek lead the way. They will
be set up by Ryan Madson A&C*-Z and Mike Minor A*-Z. Addison Reed B*-Z will
be the first one in if the starter gets chased. On the farm are Chris Devenski
and Shane Greene, both A*-No-Z’s and Will Harris, a B*-Z. Biding his time there
is un-carded A.J.Puk. As good as this unit looks it trails Rochester’s who went
all-in on establishing a top-flight bullpen.

Super Star Paul Goldschmidt 1B-5 .966 OPS will be at one
corner and across the diamond will be another budding Super Star in Anthony
Rendon, 3B-5 and a .937 OPS. Scooter Gennett a 2B-6 but a .874 will hold down
the keystone sack, his DP partner will probably be Addison Russell, a .722 OPS,
but he can compensate for that with his SS-9 rating. A little better offensive
player could be inserted at shortstop in Eric Sogard or Ketel Marte; both are
SS-8’s. Other reserves are Wil Myers 1B-4 and 3B-5 Matt Chapman. In the minor
league system are a host of un-carded players, which include Gleyber Torres,
Nick Senzel, Brendan Rodgers and Kevin Maitan. Franklin Barreto SS-7 will also
bide his time and wait for an opportunity.

Outfield:

A talented collection of players will patrol the pastures
for Brooklyn this season. All of them have a OPS of over .800. George Springer
OF-3 .889 OPS will be one starter for sure as will Dexter Fowler OF-3 .851 OPS.
The final outfield slot will be occupied by either Lonnie Chisenhall OF-2 .881
OPS, Mat Joyce OF-2 .808 or Michael Brantley OF-3 .801 OPS. One of those who
don’t start will perform DH duties and the other will be available to pinch
hit. The injured Adam C. Eaton OF-3 .854 OPS, 91 at bats will spend time in the
minors.

Draft Analysis:

They shored up their bullpen in the 1st round with the
addition of Mike Minor. With no 2nd rounder, they addressed their
starting staff in the 3rd and 4th with Sabathia and
Corbin. They had an additional 4th rounder so they selected Shane
Greene another A* reliever. In the 5th,Ryan Merritt arrived and he
may prove valuable when rosters expand with his A&C-Z, 21 IP card. In the 6th
and 7th they added infield depth with Sogard and Marte. The 8th,
9th and 10th they went for some young hurlers in Walker
Buehler, Dinelson Lamet and A.J.Puk before concluding their draft with SS-7
Franklin Barreto.

Synopsis:

Manager Turner swept most of the honors last year, he
hoisted the Championship Trophy for the first time, took home the Manager of
the Year title and won the first annual Scott L. Fisher Best Record in Baseball
Award. The lack of a deep rotation even with a dynamite bullpen plus the
emergence of powerhouses Rochester and Las Vegas may derail their plans of a
repeat performance. They look like a playoff team and in a short series
anything can happen. Although they have a slight advantage, their margin for
error is paper thin with Philadelphia and possibly Amsterdam nipping at their
heels for a playoff berth.

Rochester Rockers

Starting Staff:

Armed with a boatload of draft picks the Rockers assembled a
top-notch rotation although it will require some savvy juggling involving
roster moves. To start the year they will have Stephen Strasburg A-Z 175 IP as
the # 1, Zack Greinke B-Z 202 IP as the # 2 with B-No Z’s Charlie Morton and
Brad Peacock as # 3 and #4, three B-Z’s with limited innings will rotate into
the # 5 slot, they are Brent Suter 82 IP, Randall Delgado 63 IP and Andrew
Albers 41 IP and Lucas Giolito A-Z 45 IP will round out what appears to be a
six-man rotation. In the minors are Deck McGuire A-Z 14 IP and a tandem of
C-Z’s in Ivan Nova and Mike Leake. Tyler Chatwood D-W will join them.

Division Rank: 1st

Bullpen:

In as much the Brooklyn bullpen was envied through out the
league, the Rocker’s pen is even better. The major league roster has Chad Green
A(A&C*)-Z, David Robertson A&C*-Z, Yusmeiro Petit B(A*)-Z with 91 IP,
Chris Rusin A*-Z and a lowly B*-Z in David Hernandez. The farm system is stacked
with high grades but low innings guys like Austin Maddox A&B*-Z 17 IP,
Jimmy Sherfy A&B*-Z 11 IP and Tyler Olson A&B* No-Z 20 IP, the only non
Z pitcher among the 11 Rocker relievers. Adding to this seemingly surplus are a
pair of A*-Z’s in Carlos Ramirez and Luis Santos, both with 17 IP. Throw in
Sean Doolittle’s 51 IP of B*-Z and you can see that Manager Schall has his work
cut out for him to best utilize this 23 man staff.

Division Rank: 1st

Catcher:

They traded for veteran receiver Brian McCann C-7 .759 OPS
from Hartford and he should see the majority of starts with Tucker Barnhart C-9
.750 OPS as the only backup.

Infield:

A big trade on the eve of the draft netted them 3B-5 .915
OPS Adrian Beltre for one of their four first round picks. Earlier in the off-season
they acquired 1B Joey Votto 1B-5 1.032 OPS also via the trade route. With the
corners now covered they addressed the middle infield situation by obtaining
Paul DeJong SS-8 2B-8 in the draft, Neil Walker 2B-8 in who came over in the
Votto deal from USMC will start at second base. Zack Cozart SS-8 will probably
just be used as the DH. Kris Bryan 3B-4 ticketed for an outfield post will have
to spell Beltre occasionally since he only has 340 at bats. In the minors are
Adam Lind 1B-3, Chase Headley 3B-4 and Aledmys Diaz SS-8.

Outfield:

An All-World Outfield that consists of Bryant OF-2 .946,
Cody Bellinger OF-2 1B-4 .933 OPS and Mike Trout OF-3 1.071 OPS needs no
descriptive adjectives. The only concern with this trio may be Trout’s 402 at
bats. They got some good mileage from Brian Goodwin OF-2 in early season play
as Trout’s caddy. They also have veteran Bret Gardner OF-3 as a reserve. The
lone fly chaser in the minors is un-carded Austin Meadows, who has been seen as
a potential break out candidate for years, although he is only 23.

Division Lineup Rank: 1st

Draft Analysis:

They had three first round picks and early conjecture said
that they had their heart set on OF Tommy Pham but the Lottery Mistress didn’t
comply as their #3 seed fell all the way down to # 6 taking them out of the
Pham running. The Rockers still did okay, grabbing Petit an A*-Z with 91 IP,
Chad Green another A*-Z and Paul DeJong with his SS-8 2B-8 and double one’s who
is a valuable piece to Rochester’s lineup. In the 2nd they were able
to add a B-No Z in Morton and in the 3rd with their two picks they
selected Peacock a B-No Z and Brent Suter a B-Z with 82 IP. Another B-Z 63 IP
in Randall Delgado was taken in the 4th. They had no 5th
but in the 6th they selected yet another B-Z in Albers with his 41
IP. B*-Z, David Hernandez arrived in the 7th. The Rock-Men had no 8th
but took Adam Lind in the 9th and Brian Goodwin in the 10th.
With picks 11 thru 15 they followed their master plan script and took all low
innings high-grade relievers in Maddox, Olson, Carlos Ramirez and Luis Santos.
In the 16th they added another limited inning starter in McGuire
before going back to the pen with Jimmy Sherfy.

Synopsis:

The Rockers announced they were going for it. When the smoke
cleared after the trading season and the draft Rochester stood on top of their
division rivals in the East in rotation, bullpen and lineup according to the
metrics applied. Did they overstock the bullpen with all those light inning
hurlers? Did they not address their offensive depth enough? Did they mortgage
their future with all their part-time pitchers? All those questions will be
answered at the conclusion of the season. Their sluggish start non-with
standing, on paper they look like the real deal to capture the Eastern flag.
It’s going to be a delicate process to coordinate their five roster moves so
that they still have their strongest lineup/rotation/bullpen going into the
post season.

Las Vegas Crazy Horse

Starting Staff:

There is nothing to dislike here. A formidable staff is made
up of Corey Kluber A-Z, Chris Sale B-Z, Luis Severino B-Z and Jimmy Nelson B-Z,
all with plenty of IP. Chase Anderson B-No-Z 141 IP is the 5th
starter if needed. On the farm are Jon Lester C-No-Z and Kevin Gausman D-No-Z.
Un-carded MacKenzie Gore and Forrest Whitley wait their time although the
latter was hit with a 50 game drug suspension.

Division Rank: 2nd

Bullpen:

A&C*-Z Archie Bradley is the closer. They had their
sights set on him and he fell to the 10th pick of the 1st
round. Set up men include Blake Parker A*-Z and a pair of A*-No-Z’s in Ken
Giles and Zach Britton. Brandon Kintzler B*-Z provides some depth along with
Mike Montgomery C(B*) No-Z with 131 IP. Nate Jones A*-No-Z, just 12 IP is the
only reliever in the minors.

Division Rank: 3rd

Catchers:

The Crazy Horse will start Mike Zunino C-8 and a .840 OPS
behind the dish with Wilson Ramos C-8 .737 OPS as his backup. Zunino has just
387 at bats so he will be used judiciously. Un-Carded Sean Murphy is in the
minors.

Infield:

The infield corners have 1B-4 Freddie Freeman .989 OPS and
Manny Machado 3B-5 .782 OPS. The latter has announced he will now move to
shortstop leaving the Crazy Horse with a gaping hole at the hot corner for next
year.At second base they can choose
either Kolten Wong 2B-8 .788 OPS or Ian Kinsler 2B-9 .725 OPS. At short the
suddenly suspect Xander Bogaerts, down to a SS-7 and a paltry .746 OPS has now
become a liability. They may turn the position over to veteran Jose Reyes SS-8
2B-7 3B-3 .728 OPS. The DH spot has a lot of viable candidates, depending where
they employ J.D.Martinez. Yonder Alonzo 1B-4 .866 OPS is one possibility the
other being Eric Thames OF-1 1B-3 .877 OPS, although he could conceivably play
in the outfield but it is hard to envision two OF-1’s in the same alignment if
they place Martinez there also. In the minors are 3B-4 Christian Arroyo, who is
hoping he gets a new lease on life since he was traded to Tampa Bay and
un-carded Royce Lewis.

Outfield:

There are 11 outfielders on the “Crazy One’s” roster, 12 if
you count Thames. If J.D.Martinez OF-1 1.066 OPS is indeed a starter in the
pasture, and Domingo Santana OF-2 .875 OPS is another starter, that leaves some
combo of Lane Adams OF-2 .807 OPS but only 109 at bats and OF-3 Kevin Kiermaier
.788 OPS for the other. So Thames will spell Freeman with his light at bats at
first base and DH for Alonzo at times and then sub for J.D.Martinez with his
432 at bat limit. The Las Vegas skipper will have to be innovative to get him
into the lineup whenever feasible. Down on the farm is Ryan Braun OF-3 .823
OPS, a sort of puzzling move, Andrew Toles OF-2, injured most of last year,
ditto for Yasmany Tomas OF-1, Keon Broxton OF-2, who never seems to do enough
to keep his place on the active roster, Bradley Zimmer OF-3, a premium defender
in his rookie year, Willie Calhoun OF-1, who struggled in his initial season
and finally un-carded Kyle Tucker, quite a lot of depth and promise for next
year.

Division Lineup Rank: 2nd

Draft Analysis:

Archir Bradley was their man and they got him with one of
their two 1st round picks, Eric Thames was taken with their other
selection, the dilemma is where to get his bat into the lineup. Blake Parker
arrived in the 2nd and surprisingly Chase Anderson was still on the
board in the 3rd, with their other pick in the round they chose
Bradley Zimmer. They had no 4th but went un-carded in the 5th
with OF Kyle Tucker. They stayed with the same modus operandi in the6th
withUn-CardedP Forrest Whitley, who as previously
mentioned has to serve a 50 game drug suspension. In the 7th they
took a flier on Christian Arroyo, a former SF Giant, traded to Tampa Bay, the
selection was panned by the Norfolk skipper, who is a lifelong fan of the
Giants. The next two rounds they went back to prospects taking un-carded
MacKenzie Gore and Royce Lewis. In the 10th, unbelievably Yonder
Alonzo was still on the board with his 1B-4 .866 OPS, so he will be wearing the
lavender and mauve uniform of the Crazy Horse next season. According to ZSABL
rules you are allowed five un-carded players so the Crazy Ones went back to the
well and took another one in C Sean Murphy. Their final pick was OF Lane Adams,
only 109 AB’s but a good card and he earned a roster spot to start the season.

Synopsis:

On papertheyare second best toRochesterin every category, unlike the Rockers they do not have to plug &
play their starting rotation or the bullpen. They can just let it fly. They do
have to do some maneuvering with their line up; especially their power guys
like J.D.Martinez, Freeman, Alonzo and Thames as all of then have less than 500
at bats.

The line up is top heavy with some perceived weaknesses on
the left side of the infield, second base and maybe even one of the outfield
positions unless they employ an OF-1 like Thames. They could say the “hell with
leather” and use Martinez and Thames at the same time. They are a “Mortal Lock”
for the post season, the question being can they chase down Rochester for the
Eastern pennant.

Maine Mauis

Starting Staff:

If Sherwood’s rotation is
“deplorable” the Maui’s starting staff, according to the Merriam-Webster
dictionary’s 2nd definition of deplorable, is “wretched”. Lance Lynn
a B-No-Z with 186 IP is the ace with Michael Fulmer C-Z 165 IP next in line.
After that there is a considerable drop off. Michael Wacha, Danny Duffy and
Danny Salazar are all

C-No-Z’s with 166,146 and 103 IP
respectively. Un-carded Jason Groome is in the minors.

Division Rank: 6th

Bullpen:

Matt Albers A&C*-No- Z, who they released last year was
re-drafted to serve as the closer this season. Dominic Leone A*-No-Z will be
the set up guy and Craig Stammen, Danny Barnes and Ryan Tepera all B*-No-Z’s
(are you seeing a pattern here), round out the pen. So the only “Z” on the
entire opening day staff is Fulmer the # 2 starter. In the minors there is a
pitcher who has an idea where the plate is and that is Matt Bowman C*-Z but
being a Grade C makes him a non-factor. The farm does provide a little quality
when they are recalled, both Joe Kelly and Hoby Milner are A*-No-Z’s and Edwin
Diaz is a B*-No-Z, they are all guaranteed to bolster the Maui’s at some point
in the season.

Division Rank: 6th

Catchers:

Alex Avila C-8 .834 OPS had a solid campaign. His back up is
Martin Maldonado C-9 .645 OPS. There is depth in the minors in Jason Castro C-8
.720 OPS and Kelly Carson C- 7 who is still blocked by Yadier Molina in St.
Louis before he will get a chance to display his potential.

Infield:

Gone from the Maui’s infield roster are South Korean born 3B
Jung Ho Kang and Byung Ho Park, as apparently the cultural issues in Maine were
too much to overcome. Jose Ramirez 3B-5 2B-8 OPS .957 is a stud without much
fanfare, except in Cleveland, will be at second base, although he could
conceivable be placed at third base, also on the right side of the infield at
first base they have Justin Smoak 1B-5 .883 OPS. Miguel Sano 3B-4 .859 OPS will
start at the “hot corner” for the most part, although he has a possible MLB
suspension looming for some alleged transgression, domestic abuse or sexual
harassment, I can’t keep track which one it is. At shortstop will Jean Segura
SS-8 .776 OPS. For the first time since 2016 Joe Mauer 1B-4 .801 OPS is back in
the ZSABL he will perform most of the DH duties. The reserves are Freddy Galvis
SS-9 and Logan Forsythe 2B-8 3B-4. In the minors are Matt Adams 1B-3 .841 and
2B-8 Jed Lowrie .808, both the recipients of questionable demotions. Pedro
Alvarez 1B-2 and Ken Vargas 1B-3 will also ride the bush league busses, leaving
many “experts” pondering why they are still here and not embarking on new
careers.

Outfield:

There are 10 outfielders on the Maui’s roster, six on the
active list. Mookie Betts OF-3 OPA .803 will no doubt be one starter, some
combo of Austin Jackson OF-3 .869 but only 280 at bats, Howie Kendrick OF-2
2B-7 .844 OPS, Jon Jay OF-2 .749 OPS, Billy Hamilton OF-3 .634 or Jarrod Dyson
OF-3 .674 will occupy the other two posts. Jeremy Hazelbaker OF-2 1.020 OPS 52
at bats and Michael Conforto OF-2 .939 headline the minor leaguer’s along with
Mark Trumbo OF-1.686. Conforto in
particular is a puzzling member of Maine’s minor league system as the cast of
fly chasers after Betts, Jackson and Kendrick are not very inspiring.

Division Lineup Rank: 5th

Draft Analysis:

They took Lance Lynn with their # 1 and no arguments here,
as B starters with innings were scarce. The next six picks were all relievers,
Matt Albers who they cut last year, Dominic Leone, Ryan Tepera, Joe Kelly,
Craig Stammen and Danny Barnes came aboard. In the 8th they
re-claimed Jed Lowrie who they also released in 2017. Martin Maldonado C-9
arrived in the 9th and they took another bullpen part in Hoby Milner
in the 10th. The 11th saw them take a gamble on Joe
Mauer, long removed from his super-star days but still serviceable with his
.800+ OPS. Hazelbaker in the 12th has a nice card but appears to be
destined as a bench player in the Big Show. In the 13th and 14th
they added some outfield depth in Jon Jay and Jarrod Dyson. Howie Kendrick was
a great pick up for a 15th rounder. In the post draft roster SNAFU’s
they snatched un-carded OF Taylor Trammell on waivers for their final
selection.

Synopsis:

The Maui’s have seemed to stagnate. In the seven years under
the guidance of Manager Deeter they either have come in 5th (3x) or last (4x). They could break that
pattern this year as it looks like they are the 6th best team in the
East. Virtually no (Z’s) anywhere in the pen and only a C-Z in Fulmer in the
rotation will doom them. Questionable roster decision like keeping Matt Adams,
Michael Conforto and Jed Lowrie off the major league roster will not help. The
East is loaded with three power houses, Las Vegas, Rochester and Brooklyn with
Amsterdam and Philadelphia in a tier just a tad below, There will not be enough
“outside column” rolls for Maine to make a legitimate run at the post season.

Amsterdam Bulldogs

Starting Staff:

Innings are the problem at the top of the rotation, as James
Paxton B-Z 136 IP and Parker Bridwell B-Z 121 IP will have to be closely
monitored. There is no such problem with the slated # 3 guy. Marcus Stroman is
a B-No-Z with 201 IP. Jonathan Gray C-Z gives them a decent # 4 starter. It
appears they will at least start the year with a six man staff with Carlos
E.Martinez and Chris Archer, both C-No-Z’s, being the back end of the rotation.
Chad Kuhl C-No-Z will be kept on the roster as an inning eater. In the minors
are Trevor Bauer and Lance McCuller,Jr. both C-No-Z’s and Julio Urias D-W, who
underwent a serious arm surgery (not Tommy John). Un-carded hopefuls are Hunter
Greene and Michael Kopech with the latter probably making his MLB debut this
summer.

Division Rank: 5th

Bullpen:

The closer is Craig Kimbrell and you can’t get much better
than his A&B*-Z rating. Cory Knebel A&C*-No-Z is the set up man. They
are not very deep after those two with Tony Watson B*-Z and Pedro Baez B*-No-Z
the only other options. Kuhl and the 5th and 6th
starters, Martinez and Archer will have to help lighten the load.

Division Rank: 5th

Catchers:

They are set behind the plate with Austin Barnes C-7 .894
OPS, an on base machine but only 217 at bats and he will be backed up by the
still potent veteran Yadier Molina C-8 .751 OPS. They opted to carry a third
catcher in Omar Narvaez C-7 .713 OPS, who for reasons only known to the
Amsterdam management, they are extremely high on.

Infield:

The corner infield posts are well stacked with Anthony Rizzo
1B-5 .899 OPS and across the diamond at third base with Travis Shaw 3B-4 .862,
unless they choose him to be the DH. Elvis Andrus SS-9 .808 OPS with a career
year will be the shortstop. The keystone sack was a big hole going into the
draft with not much there to fill it. They did come away with Adam Frazier 2B-6
OF-2 who was a known target on their list. His fielding deficiencies and .743
OPS make him not the answer. They did add Yolmer Sanchez 2B-8 3B-4 .732 OPS to
give them some flexibility. Ian Happ 2B-7 OF-2, ticketed for an outfield post
could see significant time there also.Long time starter Kyle Seager 3B-5 .773 adds some depth and will be on
the field when Shaw is employed as the DH. In the minors is highly regarded
Jeimer Candelario 3B-3 along with the versatile Enrique Hernandez 3B-4 SS-7
OF-2 and Jason Kipnis 2B-7 coming off of a poor season. They traded for 1B
Miguel Cabrera and will stash him here in the bushes hoping he can return to
his career norms. Post draft they claimed SS-7 Tim Anderson on waivers who
displayed some pop last year but his .679 OPS relegates him to some long bus
rides in the farm system. Some un-carded jewels reside here as well in Vladimir
Guerrero Jr, Willy Adames and Brendan McKay.

Outfield:

Bryce Harper OF-2 1.008 OPS and Justin Upton OF-3 .901 are
both locked in as starters. A trio of .800+ .OPS fly chasers in Aaron Hicks
OF-3, Yasiel Puig OF-3 and Ian Happ OF-2, if he is not given the second base
job, will vie for playing time at the other two posts.In the minors are Nick Williams OF-2 and the
talented Clint Frazier OF-1.

Its a very deep outfield crew.

Division Lineup Rank: 3rd

Draft Analysis:

With their lottery pick they
selected Parker Bridwell over Alex Wood despite the 30 inning difference. They
had two 2nd rounders and they made them count as they picked up
Austin Barnes and Cory Knebel. They were not on the clock again until the 5th
and Aaron Hicks became a Bulldog he was a very solid choice. In the 6th
they added Adam Frazier and with no 7th they grabbed Yolmer Sanchez
in the 8th hoping both will fortify their second base situation. The
9th and 10th saw them go un-carded in Hunter Greene and
Brendan McKay. They announced that they were done but then re-entered the draft
in the 15th with the selection of C Omar Narvaez The post draft
waiver wire netted them SS-7 Tim Anderson.

Synopsis:

A very strong lineup will garner some victories during the
2018 campaign. The lack of innings from their top starters forcing them to go
to an under-manned bullpen too early or to one of their five Grade C No-Z’s
starters in relief will give them right back. I originally thought the Bulldogs
would be in a battle with Philly to challenge for the last playoff berth in the
East. Re-evaluating their roster with the shortage of quality innings I have to
back off that prediction and move them closer to the lower rung of the
division. Their lineup is potent enough to keep them in contention early on but
as the innings gets used up the free fall will begin.

Division Wrap Up

Rochester went into the trading season and the draft with a
master plan and on paper it looks like they succeeded. They will have some
competition.

Las Vegas despite their sluggish start is a very well
rounded team. The only weakness might be the left side of the infield with
Machado and Reyes. One more (Z) in the pen would have been huge.

The defending champion Brooklyn Metropolitans will utilize
their dynamite bullpen and solid lineup to make things difficult for Rochester
and Las Vegas and press them all year.

Philadelphia looks to be just a little short. In a year of
offensive prowess their lineup doesn’t match up with the big boys. They
surprised last year and stayed in the hunt until the very end, I don’t envision
that this season but they are off to good start.

Amsterdam is the enigmatic club in the East; they have the
firepower at the plate but that pitching depth is too problematic for them to
overcome. Maybe their C-No-Z’s will get lucky and everybody will roll 9’s but
that is highly unlikely.

Maine’s problem will be limiting base runners with their
staff of hurlers sans the Z.Some poor active roster decision IMHO will only add to their woes.

Sherwood after 8 consecutive post-season appearances are in
a total rebuild and it looks like they are destined for the basement and
potentially the # 1 pick in the draft. The caveat being any team with a
Giancarlo Stanton and a Noah Syndergaard are not far away from turning it
around coupled with some high draft picks.

Final Prediction

1-Rochester

2-Las Vegas

3-Brooklyn

4-Philadelphia

5-Amsterdam

6-Maine

7-Sherwood

Disclaimer:

This journalistic endeavor is just an opinion. Please, if
you disagree with it, post your own predictions. I do take a lot of time
analyzing the rosters etc. If you must comment, make it to the entire league,
sort of like a Letter to the Editor. In the past I have been wrong and
sometimes right on the money just like the Weathermen.